Native American potter Maria Montoya Martinez was born in San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico on April 10, 1887 and died on June 10, 1980. She not only produced her own magnificent pots, now seen widely in museum collections, but worked to revitalize the craft of pottery among the Pueblo Indians. She was already known for her work in the traditional polychrome style of San Ildefonso when, in 1919, she began to work in a new matte-black-on-black style developed by her husband, Julian (died 1943). The style was so successful that little work was done in polychrome in the Rio Grande pueblos until it was revived by Maria's son Popovi Da in 1956-57. Maria's work, black-on-black, red-on-red, and polychrome, stands out for its beauty as well its technical quality.